November 27, 1988 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 52 pages

CAPILANO HATCHERY

Chinook

ret:

rns

meagre

CHINOOK SALMON returns to the Capilano River con- tinue to fall well below the number needed to establish the fish as a self-sufficient population, despite ample rain and

high river levels this year.

Thus far in 1988, only 360 adult chinook have made their way back to the river's hatchery.

Salmonid Enhancement Pro- gram biologist Ted Perry said the number “is disappointing...we're not pleased with it,’’ but is an im- provement over last year when on- ly 50 adult chinook returned.

He added that a return to the river of 550 two-year-old male or ‘Jack’ chinook, which do not pro- vide the eggs needed by the hatch- ery, was a positive sign for future Capilano chinook runs.

Fisheries and Oceans projections for chinook returns to the Capilano River this year ranged from 400 to 3,000.

The 1988 returns are well below the highest chinook returns to the river of up to 1,000 adults re- corded in the late 19705 and early 1980s, and well below the estimated 2,000 adults needed to provide the eggs and sperm to establish chinook as a self-sustain- ing population in the river.

They also contrast markedly with this year’s bountiful coho return to the Capilano hatchery, which Perry estimated was around 45,000 this year.

The hatchery needs approx- imately 600 coho per month for the eggs and sperm to replenish the river’s overall coho run.

Chinook are not native to the Capilano, but the river's hatchery has attempted, with limited suc- cess, to establish a chinook run in the river for the past 17 years.

Perry estimated the total adult Capilano chinook run this year would have been 560, but 200 were taken from the river as Indian food fish.

The mouth of the Capilano River was closed to recreational chinook fishing from Aug. [5S to

By TIMOTHY RENSHAW News Reporter

Perry said $00,000) eggs were taken from the 360 chinook that returned to the Capilano this year. Juveniles from the eges will be released into the river next spring.

In addition, 1.5 million chinook eggs taken from) Vancouver Istand’s Quinsam hatchery will be taised and released as smolts from Fisheries and Oceans seapems cur- tently located in Indian Arm.

An estimated 2.2 million smolts were released from fisheries seapens operating in Deep Cove, Indian’ Arm, Burrard Inlet: and Horseshoe Bay this year.

The primary objectives of the seapen project are to establish a chinoak fishery in Indian Arm away from the mouth of the Capilano River, with its fluc- tuating river levels and heavy ad- jacent marine traffic, and provide extra chinook populations for the Seymour and Capilano rivers and all area North Shore creeks.

Perry said an experiment will also be conducted to release from the seapens chinook taken from the upper Fraser River, which normally return in June and July rather than in the fall, in an at- tempt to spread chinook returns to North Shore waterways out over the year.

Overall Georgia Strait chinook populations have dropped drastically over the past four years.

Only 4,300 ‘gulf’ chinook returned to spawn in 1987 com- pared with 5,900 in 1986 and an average 42,800 in the 12 years prior to 1986.

Chinook, Perry said, ‘‘are just not surviving at the rate they were 10 years ago.”

NEWS photo Terry Pvters

REE

- ; Up-hili lesson FEDERATION OF Mountain Clubs of B.C. course instructor Dave McCashin (left) heips paramedic Richard Foster master mountain cimbing teciiniques while paramedic Chris Cerverko holds on to the rope in Lynn Canyon Park. North Vancouver Unit Provincial Ambulance Service paramedics have been learning about mountain climb-

ing to enable them to deliver first aid to injured people situated ii mozntainous ter- rain.